Soul singer Sam Moore, of Sam and Dave fame, dies at 89 from complications following surgery in Florida

Sam Moore of the 1960s duo Sam and Dave, known for hits such as Soul Man and Hold On, I’m Comin’, has died at the age of 89, his publicist announced.

Jeremy Westby said Moore died Friday morning in Coral Gables, Florida, of complications while recovering from surgery.

Moore, who influenced musicians such as Michael Jackson, Al Green and Bruce Springsteen, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 along with Dave Prater.

Most of their hits were written and produced by the band of Isaac Hayes and David Porter, and featured Stax house band Booker T & the MGs.

The band’s guitarist, Steve Cropper, received one of the most famous cheers in music when Sam and Dave called out “Play it, Steve” halfway through Soul Man.

Like many early soul bands, Sam and Dave faded away after the 1960s. However, Soul Man hit the charts again in the late 1970s when the Blues Brothers, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd recorded it with many of the same musicians.

Moore, who had the higher of the two voices in the duet, had mixed feelings about the hit’s association with the Saturday Night Live stars, remembering how young people believed it had its origins in the Blues Brothers.

In 2008, the movie Soul Men featured a pair of aging, estranged singers who bore more than a little resemblance to Sam and Dave. Moore lost the lawsuit, claiming the similarity was too great.

He also spent years suing Prater after Prater hired a replacement and toured as New Sam and Dave. Prater died in a car accident in Georgia in 1988.

Moore also raised legal allegations that the music industry defrauded him about his retirement benefits. In 1993, Moore and other artists sued multiple record companies and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

In 1994, Moore said he joined the legal case after learning that despite his millions of records sold, his pension was just $2,285, which he could collect in a lump sum or in $73 monthly payments.

“Two thousand dollars for my life?” Moore said then.

“If you want to make money off of me, give me some too. Don’t give me cornbread and tell me it’s cookies.

Moore also wrote the song Dole Man, modeled on Soul Man, for Republican Bob Dole’s 1996 presidential campaign.

In 2017, he was one of the few artists who performed at the inauguration ceremonies of Republican President Donald Trump.

Eight years earlier, Moore objected when Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s campaign used the song Hold On, I’m Comin’.

Moore was born on October 12, 1935 in Miami and started singing in church.

He and Prater performed separately in clubs in the 1950s, but did not meet until 1961 in Miami.

Moore helped coach Prater on the song’s lyrics, and they quickly became a popular local duo.

In 1965, after signing a contract with Atlantic Records, producer Jerry Wexler sent them to the Memphis branch of the Stax label.

Moore is survived by his wife Joyce, daughter Michell and two grandchildren.

AP/ABC